To the knowledge of insects, pollinators of Sorbus aucuparia Linnaeus, 1753 and Aronia mitschurinii A.K. Skvortsov et Maitul., 1982 in Moscow Region, Russia

Abstract

Composition of insect species pollinating Sorbus aucuparia and Aronia mitschurinii in Moscow Region, Russia was studied. It was collected 39 species – representatives of 4 orders and 21 families. The hypothesis that these two plants with same inflorescences and blossoming simultaneously are visited by the same insect species was not proved: 18 species were captured only on S. aucuparia and 16 species only on A. mitschurinii. Insects demonstrated selectivity towards aboriginal (Sorbus) and adventive (Aronia) plants. Only five species were registered on both plants: Bombus ruderarius Müller, 1776, Andrena haemorrhoa (Fabricius, 1781), Bellardia viarum obineauDesvoidy, 1830, Anthrenus scrophulariae Linnaeus, 1758 and Anaspis frontalis (Linnaeus, 1758). Sorbus aucuparia was more attractive for Diptera from the families Calliphoridae and Milichiidae, and Aronia mitschurinii – for Anthomyiidae, Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae. Selectivity was discovered at species level also: Andrena ruficrus Nylander, 1848 and Myopa polystigma Rondani, 1857 visited Aronia mitschurinii only and Andrena subopaca Nylander, 1848 and Myopa testacea (Linnaeus, 1767) – Sorbus aucuparia. The majority of collected insect species are polyphagous. Additional data on other plants visited by the same insects during the period of bloom of Sorbus and Aronia are given, including those from the genera Malus, Spiraea, Pyrus, Prunus, Rosa, Rubus, Cerasus Crataegus, Barbarea and Taraxacum.

Keywords

• insects
• pollinators
• Sorbus aucuparia
• Aronia mitschurinii
• adventive species
• aborigenous species
• selectivity
• Moscow Region